“A People who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both” James Madison “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the later.” Thomas Jefferson
The Media Newspapers, television, radio, internet, blogs Most people’s knowledge of politics come from the media
Functions of the Media Entertainment Reporting the news Indentifying public problems Socializing new generations Providing a political forum Making profits
Journalism in American Political History The Party Press Papers very partisan, never gave both sides of an issue Days of Party Press = few people read newspapers The Popular Press Changes in society and technology made possible self-supporting, mass readership daily newspapers Rise of mass circulation = rise of mass politics Magazines of Opinion Progressive periodicals that discussed issues of public policy; focused on investigative reporting Development of magazines of opinion = development of interest groups Electronic Journalism Radio and TV changed journalism forever TV dominance = politicians talking to voters The Internet Allows citizens to have a larger role in politics Internet = politicians and voters talking to each other
The National Media Consists of: Wire services National magazines Television network evening news broadcasts CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. Newspapers with national readerships Roles played Gatekeeper Scorekeeper Watchdog
Competition in Media Little competition in newspapers, but radio and TV are intensely competitive and just keep getting more so
Rules for the Media Newspapers almost entirely free from government regulation, but radio and television are highly licensed and regulated FCC license required to operate a radio or TV station Some movement lately to deregulate Confidentiality of Sources Reporters want it, government doesn’t Supreme Court allows the government to compel reporters to divulge information in court if it bears on a crime